bar nights
by kdlr821
Summary: Zoro x Sanji fluff, Zoro goes to a bar after someone special to him dies and sees a blond man who is surrounded with happiness, giving Zoro something to gripe about, but lately he no longer goes to hate the blond man. instead he watches from a far unsure of how to speak to someone surrounded by women.
1. Chapter 1

There he sat in a stool smoking looking as if he owned they world, smiling and laughing with almost every girl in the bar surrounding him, chatting about god knows what. It was an irritating sight to see, but it gave a green haired man who sat at the back of the bar something to gripe over.

He had just lost someone special to him and was angry at everything. When he first came to this bar a quite a few weeks ago, that same blond was sitting there laughing with the same girls, flittering around them constantly. That was what put him on edge at first he would curse the man for his good fortune. It was easier to think that way.

The blond would always smile and have hearts in his eyes, at first sight he was always happy, but if you were like the green haired man who sat at the back of the bar and watched the blond constantly you could tell that today, like this whole month, the blond was distressed.

The blond man didn't smoke much unless he was in distress, and he was now mulling over something as it seems, since he was on his at least third one of the evening. Though the blond was smiling, his smiles looked a bit fake and forced.

At first, the man would watch the blond to get out all of his frustration about the unfair cruel world, but now he would notice the blond small sighs, and subtle glances to the floor, the way he would run his hand through his blond shoulder length hair, and felt like asking the blond of his problems.

He now went to the bar regularly, drank beer only for love of drinking, and to watch the blond. Though he had been watching the blond for weeks, months maybe, the blond was in his own world little world and never notice the man's wandering eyes. Never once did the blond ever even give him a sideways glance. It was a bit frustrating, but it was for the best the blond never noticed.

The blonde's eyes were a stunning cerulean blue, he was tall,and slender-but the green haired man knew better than to think he was weak after watching him kick a guy so hard he was in need of a hospital, just for being rude to a lady. Zoro never caught his name though, so he would call him the blond or some nick name that had to do with his crazy curly eye-brow.

It was nice to see that even if the blond would even make fun of his hair, he could just bring up the eyebrows and they would be even. That is if they ever spoke to each other. He would have already gone up to the blond, if it the blond wasn't surrounded by so many girls all the time.

At one time he tried to get there before they did since it seemed that the blond was always there first, and they would follow soon after. Only to see that the blond getting out of work from a restaurant across the street,- or at least he assumed it was the blonds work since he came out the back door.

He had a 'I'm sorry I bumped into you', but because the blond couldn't wait to stop talking, so he could rushed over to see the girls who were waiting for him across the street.

Zoro didn't get the chance to say anything to him back, since the blond was acting as if he were the plague or something, but that didn't stop him from going inside the bar where the blond had just entered moments ago regardless.

"So are you ever going to get the guts to talk to him?" Nami challenged, taking him out of his daze. She was smiling jokingly. Everyone else was at the table as well, but they were too busy talking or doing something silly and paid the comment no mind.

Zoro decided to plead the fifth, and glare at her, women were always so damn nosy. He could only hope that was enough to stop the conversation.

"You have no chance if you don't talk to him. Come on, he is girl crazy and will never notice you if you don't." At first it seemed like a great idea to tell them about the new bar that he would visit- so he wouldn't seem like some creep who always came to watch a man- but after hearing this repeatedly, he realized it was the biggest mistake to ever tell them.

Zoro got up and walked to the restroom to wash his face, it was the only refuge from his friends' snide remarks. They all knew his sexual orientation and actually did want him to be happy, but how was it going to help in this situation...

* * *

After taking a deep breath he looked at himself in the mirror, and placed the usual calm mask over his face. Zoro was about to leave the restroom when a noise startled him. It stopped his heart beat for an instant, sending a sharp pang through his stomach; without seeing the perpetrator he knew who it was.

It was always like that, whenever he was in the presence of the blond, if he was ever earlier than the blond, that would happen regardless of whether he saw the blond enter or not. The air was thick, and suffocating, now was his best chance, but nothing came out; his aura of confidence gone.

"Um…" he heard, but it wasn't coming through him mouth, it was the blond! The blond sighed and looked down; it seemed very possible that the blond had noticed him, and was afraid to be alone with his (in a sense) stalker.

Zoro instantly got hooked, hanging onto every word the blond had to utter, he wasn't going to run away from the blonde's rejection.

"Do you want to go out sometime." The blond proposed loud and clearly, without a doubt and sure of himself.

"Um... I mean I noticed you…um…I sort of…uh…damn." They blond stuttered, it wasn't bad to see he wasn't the only one who was feeling flustered. He waited, looking at the blond a bit dumbfounded.

"I think… I lo—I LIKE YOU, DAMN MARIMO!" the blond huffed, yelling the ending; adding a glare declaring that he wasn't going to let himself be made fun of.

'Marimo' that was a new one; Zoro smiled he leaned in wrapping his arm around the blond. After watching him for so long, he knew there was no lie in those words. Why and how the blond ever noticed him was a mystery he would never question or challenge.

"Is that so, curlicue?" he jeered before their lips collided exploring every bit of each other, with every bit of longing in them. Their hands started to travel, when they heard the door open. Instantly pulling away, blushing madly: the men's room wasn't the smartest place to do _that_.

It was Luffy. "Luffy, what are you doing here" Zoro heard, but it wasn't coming out of his lips, it was …the blond. God, he didn't even know the blonds name yet.

Luffy didn't answer because he was busy rushing to the sink, instead of waiting for Luffy's answer they both rushed out of the restrooms flustered; which wasn't the best of ideas, since the restrooms where in the back of the bar close to his usual booth.

"Seems like you meet Zoro, Sanji-kun." Nami smile triumphantly. She stressed the Kun so Zoro could hear nice and clearly. She knew 'Sanji'; and was now making fun of him, god how many of them already knew the blond?

"Nami-swan!" 'Sanji-kun' exclaimed, like hell he was ever going to use that damn name.

He sat down and watched Sanji tailor to Nami's needs. The hell was that all about in the restroom? "How do they know each other?" he grumbled under his breath.

"We all know cook-san, but you made it clear that you never wanted to meet him." Robin mischievously answered, not taking her eyes of Sanji.

From that moment he knew that their relationship wasn't going be what he expected. However it still seemed nice that Sanji already knew his friends. He glanced once more at the empty seat that the blond used to sit at with all of his friends.

They were talking to themselves, sometimes giving glances to their booth some smiling, other gave questioning glances to Sanji and then to him, but quickly looked away when they noticed he was watching them attentively.

Did everyone know in that bar know?

But he stopped caring when he found a small paper in his pocket,- no doubt placed there when their hands were wandering. It had Sanji's name, number, and even a time to meet at the restaurant he works at—what a hooker thing to do.

He couldn't resist laughing loudly. Sanji quickly noticed what he was laughing at and without a word his leg had already dropped on Zoro's head: note to self be sure to be weary of Sanji and his antics.

"What was that, shitty Marimo?" Zoro smiled, it was not what he expected but something just felt right.

* * *

**AN: **turns out I'll be making a second to this story detailing Sanji's side, it should be out soon. Also yes I know if you lose someone special it takes a long time until you fully get over it, an it may seem a bit too short of a time frame, but just go with it for the sake of the story...

I would deeply appreciate it if you please review.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **PS. **'**The going merry' is the name of the bar.

* * *

Bar nights

Chapter 2:

He looked at the reflection in the one way mirror door that had the words 'ATHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY' in bold red print. And counted, six, seven, eight times, the man's cool and calculating, strong and piercing eyes traveled on to him.

The man behind him had a habit of stealing glances at him; it was an experience, if anything. The man was what one would call detached and did not talk to people often, the only words he ever uttered were to ask for another drink.

The man was no older than he, but the man looked aged a bit as if there was something hanging over him. Sanji noticed him from day one when that man first came stumbling in no doubt already drunk.

And even if the man was not drunk it is hard to miss a man with green hair; you would have to be extremely oblivious to not notice. Hmm…maybe Luffy wouldn't notice, he never notices it is cold until someone tells him so.

The green haired man seemed to have an air of honesty if anything and there were few flashes of times when Sanji notice the man's heartily grin, like after he kicked a man for being rude to Vivi- Chan.

Today there seemed to be something different: the man was also glancing at the door and his watch often as if he was waiting for someone.

"WHAT'S WITH YOUR DIRECTIONS ZORO? TURN RIGHT WHEN WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO STRAIGHT? GO LEFT WHEN WE SHOULD GO RIGHT? GO UP WHEN WE SOULD TURN NORTH? THE ONLY REASON I'M NOT LOST IS BECAUSE I REMEMBERED WHERE THIS STREET WAS!" roared a familiar voice. Sanji looked to the door to find Nami standing at the door arms crossed and scowling.

Sanji watched her with a deadpan expression as she stomped up to the now antsy green haired man until he could no longer suppress his laughter, so that man knew nothing of directions. The other girls who surrounded Sanji giggled as well.

"Seems like his girlfriend is going to leave him soon." one of them commented with mirthfully.

Anger flared through him; this could not be, Nami never spoke about a boyfriend with green hair when she would come over to the Baratie with Robin, and that's because she would talk about her boyfriend often, and last he checked her boyfriend was Luffy.

Regardless she still sits down right in front of Zoro who is glaring at her with contempt. Sanji knew enough not to keep staring straight at them and looked into the reflection on the one way mirror and observes as she settles in and starts surveying and commenting on the scenery.

As Nami spoke, Zoro looked at her never sparing another glace to Sanji that night. Although Sanji really didn't care and used to have half a mind on embarrassing the man previously, he still felt enraged, and infuriated by it.

The rest of the night was much like this and he came to a realization that he very much did not like.

* * *

"Nami-swan what were you doing last night?" Sanji brought up the topic sheepishly, the next day as they shared his lunch break to eat at the Baratie.

"Yesterday?" she asks rhetorically "I went to the bar and had some drinks with a friend, why?" this time not rhetorically and so openly that Sanji was thrown off.

Sanji was so certain she wouldn't bring it up in front of Robin and him so easily that he even made a speech to counter her lies but she did no such thing. Ah, how he loved Nami for times savers like that "I thought I saw you at the going merry" he answered.

"Yeah my friend Zoro told us about it but we didn't follow him there and I was—well Robin pointed out that it was near here" She corrected herself "and since everyone else either got lost or couldn't make it we were the only ones there." Good, Sanji let out a sigh of relief, dating wasn't the reason they were at the bar.

"Wait but do you go there often?" she changed the subject, realizing that Sanji had have been there to see her there.

"Yes I go there almost every day after work, Nami-swan." He answered a bit confused.

Sanji pick up his drink to have a sip and was caught off guard when Nami asked "You're gay too right" so bluntly that Sanji choked on his drink.

"What?" he asked, half afraid of answering truthfully, and half wondering why she added the word 'too'.

"Well my friend is gay, he goes there often, and he even recommended we go there, but I feel like there would be no way he would say that unless..." She trialed off in the middle of her explanation.

"I have known that man for a long time and well" she continues "he likes to go to bars alone, so there must be a reason why he wants us around" she contemplates aloud.

"So all I can think is something there is making him anxious and nothing ever makes him anxious unless it has to do with _that_." She continued to herself, losing Sanji completely.

"So do you know anyone that Zoro might be interested in that goes there regularly?" she announced loudly, directed to Sanji whom already knew the answer, he was just wondered how she figure out part of it.

He must have been really obvious about the answer because before he had the time to answer her Robin who was originally just observing their conversation adds "It seems that cook- san is the one you are speaking about." causing Nami to look at him expectantly.

"Possibly" he answered monotony, trying to make it sound like a no other than a yes.

Nami squeals "Yes, if you guys go out, maybe we could get Zoro to let go of Kuina and finally move on completely."

"I said possibly, and I've never talked to him before so that is highly unlikely, and besides I have you, my angels" Sanji did away with the idea, not bothering to explain that she was the first person Zoro ever talked to in that bar, nor his own feelings.

Nami purses her lips and holds her head up with her hand which is rested on the table and studies Sanji's face observantly and comments "That's not what it looks like to me." She turns to Robin and proclaims "I bet twenty bucks that they will be going out in less than a month."

Robin looks at Sanji looks and then upwards more than likely thinking about Zoro, "I think you are wrong Navigator- san." Robin surprisingly went along with the bet.

"Don't bet on it." Sanji huffed indignantly as he got up to go to back to work. Things do not happen that fast or easily he thought to himself.

The girls both laughed at him playfully and he forgave them, and the thought of actually going up to that man and talking to him, and possibly having a relationship, did have a nice ring to it but there was one problem: how would he ever start a conversation with him?

Later that day when he finally finished his shift and was going to go over to the going merry to relax with some of his friends, he had a serendipitous encounter with Zoro right outside the Baratie. It was his perfect chance, but he scurried away before it became a conversation.

At that time his mind was filled with the thought of a possible relationship between them that he forgot that it was possible that the man felt absolutely nothing for him.

Ever since that encounter, Sanji beat himself up daily about it. He even at one point told the women who sat in the bar with him about the man; they were for it and would even every now and then tell him to go talk to them, especially after they learned Sanji knew his friends.

It was really starting to get to him until one day Vivi finally got mad enough and picked up a pen and strip of paper and wrote his name, his number and a time to meet at the Baratie, and said to mesmerize it, or read it as he 'if he were to' ask out Zoro and if he couldn't do that he would have to just hand it over to the man.

Vivi was an extremely calm person and didn't get work up often, so to see her finally lose her patience he knew he had to do it then. He promised her that he would as soon as Zoro stepped away from the group for a minute.

Unluckily for Sanji not too long after, Zoro went to the bathroom, and he was practically shoved into it. As this happened he did not fail to notice Robin handing Nami a twenty.

While inside he noticed Zoro sigh loudly as he looked at himself in the mirror, and almost instantly lock in a standstill. Without a word Sanji knew that Zoro was waiting for him to speak, which somehow before he even realized what he was saying the words "Do you want to go out sometime." came out.

"Um... I mean I noticed you…um…I sort of…uh…damn." He stammered, how was this not going to sound like either of them were creeps?

"I think… I lo—" he stopped himself that was going too far and might not even be true so he reworded it a yelled out "I LIKE YOU, DAMN MARIMO!" before he had time to doubted himself. He glared at Zoro, he had just blurted out an old nickname that he made for the man when he first noticed his glances and did not know his name.

Sanji could almost swear he heard Zoro snort as he said "Is that so, curlicue?" mischievously. Zoro started to lean forward and something told Sanji to go with it as he also leaned forward anticipating it.

As he did he realized that he had the paper in his hand and decide that it would be best if he didn't have to tell Zoro directly like he just recently failed at and placed it in Zoro's front pocket for safe keeping, when the door slams open.

He turned to see who it could have been, only to see an antsy young boy making a beeline to the urinal "Luffy, what are you doing here" he said as Zoro grabbed him by the arm and lead them outside.

As soon as they were out he heard Nami-swans voice say "Seems like you meet Zoro, Sanji-kun."

Finally something that could put his mind at ease "Nami-swan!" he exclaimed as he ran up to her.

He gave her a brigade of compliment until she stopped him and asked "How did it go?" mirthfully. He was about to answer when Zoro started to laugh loudly at a strip of paper.

The strip of paper that Vivi Chan made, laughing at a woman's action (and his own) was unforgivable "What was that, shitty Marimo?" he yelled as he kicked Zoro's head forcefully.

After that Nami and Robin had to go somewhere, leaving all of the boys alone and Sanji no one special to talk to besides Zoro. It was an awkward and mostly silent conversation, until they hit the point of martial arts and their competitive steaks.

And without warning one by one everyone else stared leaving for one reason or another, but they remained talking about almost everything until closing time came and they walked out of the bar together neither drunk or tired enough to want to go home alone, so Sanji deiced to do the courteous thing a walk his date home.

As the walked he soon realized that Zoro didn't even know how to get home from the bar he had been going to for months now. And when Sanji pointed this out Zoro retorted with a "shut up, dart board, I could find my way back anytime." Sounding confidant enough for other to believe he was able to, Sanji laughed, understanding how Nami must have felt when she was looking for the going merry with his directions.

Then and there in the garden section of the park they were passing by did they have their first fight and make up session.

* * *

**AN: **thanks for reading.


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